VETERANS JOIN GRAIN HARVEST WORKFORCE

Grain Producers Australia and Operation Grain Harvest Assist are again recruiting former Australian Defence Force members to work on grain farms during the 2026 harvest.

The initiative was established in 2021 to connect veterans with grain producers, with GPA saying about 300 former Defence personnel took part in its first year.

GPA Chair Matthew Madden says many of those workers have returned for multiple harvests, bringing experience with machinery, safety and working in remote conditions.

He says several hundred experienced veterans are available for this year’s harvest, providing growers with an Australian workforce option as the availability of overseas workers remains uncertain.

The program is also being promoted as a pathway into longer-term agricultural employment, with Operation Grain Harvest Assist founder Lieutenant Colonel Garry Spencer saying former Defence personnel can bring valuable skills into the sector.

GPA says the program could be expanded through greater support for recruitment, screening and machinery induction.